


Small

by TwoDoors



Category: Hololive, Virtual Streamer Animated Characters
Genre: F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Other characters are mentioned in passing, Soulmates, please make more AkuShio content, this is now my new method of procrastination
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:33:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29119764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwoDoors/pseuds/TwoDoors
Summary: Aqua knew her soulmate's first words to her would be an insult; Shion, a witch, can barely cast magic thanks to her soulmate. Naturally, both aren't too fond of the whole soulmate concept. What happens when they meet? Set in the fantastical hololive universe.OrAqua and Shion soulmate fluff (with a dash of MariRushi cuz why not)
Relationships: Houshou Marine/Uruha Rushia, Minato Aqua/Murasaki Shion
Comments: 43
Kudos: 142





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this because I craved more AkuShio content.

Minato Aqua was five years old when she first learned about soulmates. She had just come home from playing outside and was a little bit dirty since she managed to trip on nothing while playing. Her mom was wiping off the dirt she got on her face. As she did so Aqua couldn’t help but notice the small but intricate figure of a flower on the inside of her wrist. “Hey Mama, what’s this?”

“Hmm?” Her mom paused for a bit. “Ahh, that’s my soul mark.”

“Soul malk?” Aqua tilted her head, confused.

“It’s soul _mark_ , silly,” her mother replied, rubbing her head that looked strikingly similar to an onion affectionately as she did. “I got it when papa and I first touched. The mark shows that we were soulmates. It means we were destined to find each other.” 

Little Aqua’s eyes sparkled at this cool new revelation “I want a soul mark too!” Her mother chuckled and shook her head as she moved them towards the couch. She then explained that everyone has a soulmate that they are destined to meet someday, but the way it manifests differs from person to person. “For example, I have this flower, but your papa could see a red unbreakable string that connected our pinkies.”

Her mother then went on to explain how other types of soulmates worked, some were simple and easy to understand, while others sounded complicated and made Aqua’s head hurt. There were a lot of types, so Aqua didn’t really understand _all_ of them, but if there was one thing she was sure of, it’s that her soulmate is going to be super cool, awesome, and bestest soulmate ever!

“I hope I get to meet my soulmate soon!”

* * *

Aqua was seven when she got the first sign of her soulmate. Granted, it was a little shocking when she went to sleep like normal and woke up the next day to see a sentence tattooed on her collarbone, but the purple and blue-haired child was too excited to worry about semantics. Aqua hurried over to the bathroom mirror to see it properly, almost tripping on a stuffed tiger she left on the floor as she did.

The sentence was short--in fact, it was only three words long. Luckily, Aqua recently learned how to read so that wasn’t the issue. The problem was the words. Written in clumsy but endearing handwriting in a deep shade of purple were the words: **Eh so small**

“Huh?”

Aqua’s excitement gave way to confusion, “‘Small’?” she echoed to herself. Deciding that contemplating its meaning by herself will get her nowhere she decided to ask her mom about it. 

That day Aqua learned two things: one was that words on her shoulder were likely the first words her soulmate will say to her; it was a common type to have. The second was that it was apparently inappropriate to come to the dining table without a shirt on. What? She was trying to read the words and the shirt was in the way.

* * *

Aqua was fifteen when she decided she didn’t like her soulmate. Why? Well because in highschool, Aqua started to realize _exactly_ what the words on her shoulder meant. You see besides an early growth spurt in elementary, the two-toned-haired teen never really grew past her initial height, so she's barely scraping 150 cm. Which was fine, really, if everyone didn’t feel the need to point it out every five seconds.

The worst part about being bite-sized though was that she heard the phrase “So small,” directed at her _way_ too often. The first time she heard it, she was ecstatic. “I found my soulmate!!!” But the boy that said that had a pain-sharing soulmate manifestation (he can feel his soulmate’s pain), and Aqua couldn’t activate it no matter how hard she tried.

That night, when Aqua came home she let out an unenthusiastic “I’m skipping dinner tonight, mama,” went to her bedroom, threw her bag aside somewhere, and flopped face-first on her bed. ‘ _Heh, I guess it’s a good thing he wasn’t my soulmate because then he’d be feeling like shi--I mean like he dropped his favorite ice cream which got run over by a truck, and then it started raining._ ’ Aqua thought as she stifled her sobs in her pillow, drifting off into a dreamless sleep. 

* * *

Murasaki Shion was six when she first learned about soulmates. Her master, a raven-haired woman whom she’s been learning under for a year, was teaching her how to cast a basic fire spell without it getting out of control. “Listen up you cheeky brat. Unlike other spells, fire can be extremely dangerous if ya mess with it. So no using it for pranks, unless you _want_ someone to get hurt, alright?”

Shion nodded quickly, eager to learn how to do the spell as quickly as possible. The amber-eyed witch-in-training has always been fascinated by magic. Her parents were magicians and she looked up to them from an early age. Her mother would conjure a beautiful garden inside the house when Shion was upset, something about being surrounded by nature made the young student feel calm. Her father meanwhile, showed Shion the coolest ways of manipulating and combining elements to form weird contraptions.

“... and that’s the basic theory behind it. Did you get all that kid?” Her master’s low timbre voice snapped Shion out of her daydreaming.

“Yeah, basically there’s air and then a thing and then it goes _boom_ then BANG! Right?”

“...” Her master let out a deep sigh, already used to her antics. “In short, you just have to visualize what you want to happen while using a strong emotion as fuel.” She said while demonstrating. 

“You can use any emotion, though I don’t really recommend using anger, it’ll make you age faster. Using your love--no wait you’re too young for that, using your yearning for a soulmate should be fine.”

“Ehh, a soulmate? I don’t really have one though?” 

“Everyone has a soulmate kid,” the older witch replied while lightly hitting the child’s head. “You’ll figure out how yours manifests when you’re older, for now just try to make that fire I showed you.”

“Whatever you say, ma’am~” 

“Don’t call me ma’am, it makes me sound old!” 

* * *

Shion decided she hated this soulmate thing the moment she got the stupid ‘soulmate manifestation.’ The apprentice witch was by herself so she felt no need to lower her volume as she ranted. “What kind of _absolutely stupid_ process decided to stick me with such a _nonsensically complicated_ soulmate manifestation?? NEEEEE!”

In reality, it wasn’t all that complicated, Shion just now had a necklace that she could never take off unless her soulmate touches it. Not too bad right? Well, the necklace also had another interesting feature: it limits her magic output to the point where she could barely cast the simplest of spells. “This is seriously the worst!” Shion shouted, trying in vain to cast a levitation spell.

After a few minutes of stubbornness, the magically crippled magician grew tired and gave up. ‘ _Well at least it looks cute, I guess,_ ’ Shion thought inwardly. The necklace was held by a thin silver chain that had a star-shaped pendant. ‘ _Hmm?_ ’ upon closer inspection, Shion realized it was less of a star, and more two triangles that overlap to form the image of a star. The sides of triangles were gilded gold, the bottom triangle was colored pink while the one on top was a dark purple. In the middle of the pendant was a key-shaped hole, only Shion didn’t have the key.

‘ _Heh, well if the universe thinks something like this is enough to stop me from becoming a full-fledged witch, then they’re dead wrong_.’ Shion thought as she riled herself up. Unbeknownst to anyone, this was the moment Shion decided to graduate as a top student of Makai Academy. Not out of something as pure as heroic determination mind you, but out of pure spite.

* * *

The years pass by and the two mature, though both still lacking in certain aspects. Aqua becomes a marine-based maid who was recruited by the infamous captain of the Houshou Pirates and Shion is recognized as a fully-fledged witch despite her soulmate-linked disability. 

Now an adult, Shion was by a sunny seaside port ~~flirting~~ chatting with two people. One was taller and had red hair that matched the one eye that wasn’t covered by her eyepatch. She was dressed like a pirate, wearing a coat that hung off her elbows and a tricorne with an orange-tipped feather. The other had a very youthful appearance and had mint green hair styled into twin buns. She wore a blue dress adorned with several butterflies and had skull-shaped pins on her necklace and hairpin.

“Hey Senchouu, I’m hungryyy,” Shion drawled while affectionately hugging the red-haired’s arm. “Can’t we just meet whoever it is we’re meeting at the restaurant?” 

“Oi oi, why are you complaining like we’ve been here for hours? We’ve only been here for five minutes! And Rushia had to pick your ass up from your home because you almost overslept again!”

“Yes yes, I said I would apologize for that right? Here Rushia-chan chu~” was all the warning the necromancer received before Shion was all over her. Flustered by the sudden affection, Rushia instinctively tried to push the purple witch away. Marine, feeling left out, tried to join creating even more chaos. Before Rushia could use a spell to push both the troublemakers away, a high-pitched voice interrupted their scuffle.

“I’m really sorry for being late!!!” An older (but still short) Aqua yelled while running towards them. 

The trio finally broke up, with Shion and Rushia fixing their clothes to make themselves more presentable. Meanwhile Marine, feeling no need for such decorum, immediately ran towards the newcomer, “AKUTAAAAN!” The pirate then proceeded to glomp the smaller maid but let go quickly so that Aqua could catch her breath. “Hah… sorry…. hah… for being late,” Aqua finished, finally getting enough oxygen. 

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Marine waved her hand to dismiss the apology. “Nevermind that let’s go meet Rushia and Shion-tan--ah Shion is the friend I said I’d introduce, she’s a bit of a cheeky brat but she’s nice once you get to know her.”

“O-okay,” suddenly all of the anxiety Aqua had with meeting a new person came back tenfold. She had no idea how Marine roped her into this, one minute she’s in her room comfortably playing APEX solo, the next she’s fourth-wheeling on a date between Marine and Rushia. Inside, Aqua’s heart was beating a million miles a minute, but on the outside, she kept a nervous smile as she followed Marine to the other two.

When Aqua saw who she was meeting, she grew even more anxious. Standing next to Rushia was a beautiful white-haired woman. She looked like she was a witch, if the stylized pointed hat she was wearing was any indication.

The stranger was clad in a lot of purple, including a striped long-sleeved shirt that highlighted her exposed midriff. Aqua couldn't help but blush as she *ahem* _admired_ her slender figure and toned stomach. The maid also noticed a star-shaped necklace hanging around her neck, for some reason Aqua had the urge to touch it but brushed it off. The stranger's face rested in a smug grin and she carried confidence in her body language that Aqua wished she had. Instead of greeting her, however, the pretty woman’s first words to her were, “Eh? So small~”

When she spoke, the first thing Aqua registered was how unexpectedly low her voice was. Not as deep as Aqua’s first crush Okayu, but still definitely a mezzo-soprano. Her voice was sweet and smooth and Aqua was immediately entranced. It was exactly the kind of voice that made Aqua’s knees go weak. 

The maid was so drawn in by her voice that it took a bit of time to register what she said. Once she realized though, she snapped out of her daze ' _Who greets someone by pointing out their height?! And she’s barely taller than me!_ ' so she immediately shot back “You’re not exactly reaching the top shelf either!”

“Ehhh, I have magic for that though. What’s wrong? Too cute to reach the cookies at the back of the cabinet?” Shion teased back, amused by the strangers’ reactions. The girl in front of her was very animated, when she got upset her eyebrows would scrunch up slightly, creating a small crease that Shion wanted to boop. The stranger would puff her cheeks and jut out her lower lip, turning her expression into an cute pout. Shion couldn’t get enough of her adorable expressions so she couldn’t help but tease her a little.

A light blush dusted Aqua’s cheeks as her newfound crush ‘ _since when was this a crush_ ’ called her cute. In a valiant effort to hide her reddening cheeks, plus the added benefit of feigning indifference, Aqua hmphed and turned her head to the side.

“I can handle myself just fine, thank you very mu _sh_.” Aqua blushed even more as she accidentally bit her tongue on the last word, much to her chagrin. The stranger, meanwhile, was clutching her stomach trying to regain the oxygen she’s losing from laughing too much.

As their back-and-forth continued, Aqua couldn’t help but think in the back of her head that she was forgetting something. ‘ _If_ _I can’t remember, it couldn’t have been that important_.’ She thought, brushing the feeling off. Strangely, Aqua’s initial nervousness was slowly disappearing the more she bickered with the attractive stranger.

While those two were arguing, the other duo were watching in awe. Marine, in particular, was shocked by the turn of events. “I’ve never seen Akutan speak so much, nevermind warm up to someone this quickly,” she remarked, unconsciously putting her hand around Rushia’s shoulder.

Indeed, when Marine tried to approach Aqua for the first time with the intention to recruit her into her crew, the girl was a stuttering mess. She kept her head down the whole conversation and answered only in short, clipped sentences. It was the same when Marine first introduced her to Rushia over a meal, Aqua barely kept eye contact. She only lightly tugged on Marine’s sleeve and whispered whenever she wanted to order something. 

“Now that you mention it, I’ve never seen Shion-chan be so happy around someone new before. Normally she’s prickly and standoffish at best, and outright rude at worst.” Rushia muttered, remembering her not-so-pleasant first encounter with the fellow magic-user as she shuffled closer to Marine’s side. The animosity was inevitable, as Shion and Marine used to date on and off before the latter met and fell in love with her necromancer soulmate, but that’s a story for another day.

“Mmm,” Marine hummed in thought, letting her gaze fall on Rushia. As she did, she noticed the girl in her arms shiver ever so slightly. ‘ _I forgot that the wind is pretty strong near the shore. Rushia must be feeling pretty cold._ ’ Without a word, Marine takes off her coat and puts it on Rushia.

‘ _E-eh, eh, EHH? Is this chivalry?? From MARINE? What’s wrong? Did she hit her head?_ ’ Before Rushia could verbalize her semi-insulting thoughts on Marine’s character, the self-proclaimed pirate spoke, “You don’t have to wash that before giving it back. Actually, if you could wear it the next time you’re playing Ring Fit before returning it, that would be amazing.”

“...” Silently, without any change in expression, Rushia did some motions with her hands. A second later, a steel pan materialized above Senchou, and because gravity existed, it fell square on her head. “That hurt! Rushia don’t be mad, I was only 20% joking!”

“That means you were serious about it, you idiot! Disgusting pervert!” Her words were harsh but Rushia never gave back the coat throughout the whole exchange. 

Meanwhile, Shion had successfully turned Aqua into a red onion with how much she made her blush. The witch quickly found that Aqua was extremely receptive to flirtatious remarks and despite Shion complimenting her multiple times, her blush never seemed to waver. However, it wasn’t completely one-sided, the short girl in front of her could be surprisingly quick-witted with her replies and Shion found herself genuinely enjoying her newfound company.

Sadly, bickering can’t last forever, and the four of them were getting hungry; getting lunch was the original of this meeting after all. After everyone calmed down, Marine led them to the restaurant where they made a reservation.

* * *

Needless to say, Aqua had a great time that day. The maid found herself drawn to Shion, it helped that they also shared a lot of the same otaku-like interests. And when Aqua offhandedly mentioned that playing games together might be fun. Shion, with the same smirk that both flustered and irritated Aqua to no end, said “Eh? Then just come over to my place~” Which Aqua used as an excuse to exchange contact numbers.

Aqua laid on her bed reminiscing about the day’s events, giggling like a schoolgirl with a crush. Her head was full of thoughts of Shion and her pretty face and infuriating smirk and her annoyingly on-point statements that made Aqua want to kiss her just so she would shut up for one minute--and _woah_ , wait a minute can we backtrack on that.

“I’ve only met her for one day and I’m already thinking about kissing her?!” Aqua exclaimed to her empty room.

 _‘W-well I suppose it makes sense that I’m attracted to her, physically she’s very lovely and her voice is really really addicting_.' Aqua tried to explain to herself. ‘ _And I um, really enjoyed talking to her, she knows exactly what buttons to push to get a rise out of me and can read the room really well. I never felt awkward or nervous around her, her presence was so comforting like I just want her to wrap her arms around me and cuddle while we sleep and--I’m going to stop myself there. This is getting way too embarrassing, even if I’m just monologuing in my head._ ’

Something was still bugging Aqua however, that itching feeling of forgetting something was back and it wasn’t letting Aqua get any sleep. Sighing, Aqua sat up on her bed and tried to think, ‘Did I forget someone’s birthday? No that’s not it. Did I forget to feed Komugi? No no, I definitely left food for him.’ 

“Hmm,” Aqua hummed, deep in thought, she reviewed the events of the day. She stared at the wall for a good ten minutes before finally realizing how stupid she’s been. “AAAHH You stupid idiot! Bakaqua! How do you forget about your soulmate?!” She admonished herself, banging her head on her pillow.

After she calmed down, Aqua lied down and stared at the ceiling, stumped by this new realization. ‘ _I always thought my soulmate would be mean and cruel, but Shion-chan isn’t like that at all. In fact, I wouldn’t mind being together at all._ ’

Aqua tossed and turned, clutching on to her human-sized stuffed animal for support, _‘But what do I do?? I can’t just go up and tell her “Hey, I’m your soulmate but I didn’t realize it the first time because I was too busy_ ~~_ogling_~~ _admiring your_ ~~_hotness_~~ _appearance.” I’d die of embarrassment!_ ’ 

As Aqua was having a crisis her phone resting on her bedside table pinged. Jumping at the chance to let her frazzled nerves rest for a while, Aqua was instead met with the object of her internal crisis.

Shion yo (∩^o^)⊃━☆゜.*

Wanna meet at the cafe near the intersection? We can eat there and then head to my place if you're down to play some games.

' _She's inviting me out? Maybe she likes me after all?_ ' Aqua’s heart skipped a beat at that thought. ' _Come to think of it, Shion-chan was the one that invited me out. She also kept calling me cute even though we just met. Could it be… that she’s totally head over heels for me?_ ’ 

Just then Aqua was hit with an idea, ' _If we go on a date with just the two of us, we’ll definitely talk a lot. Then all I have to do is naturally bring the topic of soulmates and ask what her mark is!_ ’ 

Shion yo (∩^o^)⊃━☆゜.*

!!!( ^)I’ll meet you there ( ^)o

Wah... what a creepy emoji

!!!!Σ(°ロ°) It’s cute

Whatever you say~

!Hmph! (҂ `з´ ) Goodnight

Goodnight~

“Alright! My plan is perfect!” Aqua exclaimed as let out a self-satisfied huff. With no more mysterious lingering feelings in her mind, she laid back down to sleep.

…

“Did I just agree to a date?”

* * *

“I’m home,” Shion said to her empty house. Closing the door behind her using telekinesis (she figured how to cast basic spells even with her necklace), the white-haired witch ruminated on her day. “That Aqua girl was really cute.” Thinking of the marine maid made Shion’s heart race and a light blush dusted her cheeks.

“Eh?” That was new. Shion has always been a total flirt, she’s made advances on basically every girl she’s found attractive but she’s never felt like this. _‘I haven’t felt like this since I dated Marine, and even then I didn’t fall this quickly_ ’

This may come off as selfish but Shion has never really felt the need to please anyone. Chivalry is dead to her, and none of the girls she’s ever encountered changed that. Not until now. 

Something about Aqua makes Shion want to _do_ things for her like she wants to protect her. ‘ _Would Aqua be willing to date someone even if they weren’t soulmates? There are so many things I still don’t know. What if she’s not into girls?_ ’ she thought as she worriedly bit her lip.

‘ _What if she’s already found her soulmate?_ ’ 

Shion closed her eyes and tried to imagine Aqua with someone else, laughing at their jokes, going on a date, holding hands, and kissing them under a cherry blossom tree... 

Shion snapped her eyes open, jealous fury contorting her lips into a scowl. The urge to hold the purple-haired girl and never let go is so great that Shion herself is shocked.

‘ _I’m acting like a possessive girlfriend._ ’ Shion clicks her tongue. ‘ _That’s what normies would do and I sure as hell ain’t as brain dead as them_.’

So before she could think it through, Shion typed and sent a message inviting Aqua to come to her place. Head now clearer, doubts began to run through Shion’s thoughts, “Am I coming off too strong? Maybe I cou-ah-she’s already seen it” 

Little Baqua

I’ll meet you there ( ^)o(^ )!!!

“Pfft,” Shion snorted despite herself. ‘ _What a weird emoji._ ’ Previous worries forgotten, Shion typed exactly what she’s thinking. It didn’t take long for Aqua to reply. ‘ _She actually thinks that thing is cute? Ehh for now I guess I’ll just agree._ ’ the witch thought while typing her reply. “Ah, she’s angry she’s angry, heh,” Shion said while snickering at Aqua’s antics.

After they bid each other goodnight Shion lied on her bed and sighed. ‘ _I have a date for tomorrow huh? I better set up ten alarms just in case._ ’ Were her last thoughts before muttering a chant to set up the alerts that will surely annoy her the next morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shion's necklace is an altered version of the star-shaped pin attached to her ribbon in her first outfit.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I AM SERIOUSLY SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG!!! I overestimated my ability to balance writing this and my other workload. 
> 
> THANK YOU FOR BEING PATIENT!! Here's chapter 2 of more AkuShio fluff. Since there wasn't much tsundere in the last chapter, I put a fair amount in this one. Enjoy!

It was a lovely Saturday afternoon. The weather was clear and sunny but the sense of the upcoming winter could be felt in the cool breeze that blew. Along the brick-paved street were various colorful personalities. Some had obvious animal-like traits like ears and tails, while others were dressed eccentrically. Some donned dark robes while others had armored plates. All in all, a normal-looking street for the magic-filled world.

Amidst the people in the street--mostly teenagers probably looking to bide their time in the shop-filled road--was an anxious-looking girl sitting on a bench. She was dressed in a white blouse adorned with a small black ribbon near her chest. Her top was tucked into a pale lavender skirt whose style is reminiscent of a maid uniform. The skirt was accented with a blue symbol of an anchor near the waist.

The girl in question kept alternating between checking her phone, fiddling with the hem of her skirt, and fussing over her hair. Aqua was too excited for her totally not-a-date and ended up coming 30 mins early to the meeting spot. She had no choice but to wait in barely concealed anticipation, passing the time by playing games on her phone.

* * *

Five minutes have passed since their designated meeting time and Aqua’s mind is already racing with anxiety-riddled thoughts.

‘ _Is she coming? Is she late? Should I message her? It’s only been five minutes, what if she thinks I’m being clingy? What if she stands me up?_ ’ were some of the thoughts that plagued the socially inept maid.

Luckily for Aqua, her wait didn’t last long as Shion arrived two minutes later.

“Sup. Sorry for being late. Did you wait long?”

Aqua had been waiting for thirty-seven minutes at that point but there was no way she was admitting that and risking giving the witch more ammo for teasing.

“No, I just got here five minutes ago too.” She replied with a smile.

Now that her worries were alleviated, Aqua took the time to take in Shion’s appearance. Her soulmate had thrown her witchy appearance from their first meeting and was instead dressed in a gothic lolita aesthetic. A small part of Aqua mourned the loss of her midriff, but a larger part of her was too busy gushing over how cute her companion looks. The only constant between the two outfits was the necklace Shion always seemed to wear.

‘ _Maybe it’s a family heirloom?_ ’ Aqua pondered to herself.

Unbeknownst to Aqua, Shion was having similar thoughts. 

‘ _She’s so cute… She’s so cute, what the heck. I want to hold her so bad but that would definitely come off as creepy. I suppose I’ll test the waters and see how it goes first._ ’

“You really are cute,” Shion smirked as she moved in closer to Aqua, their faces now only inches apart. The witch tilted Aqua’s head up so they made eye contact, which Aqua would usually avoid like the plague but she couldn’t take her eyes off Shion’s.

In contrast to the cool and neutral colors that composed Shion’s outfits, the eyes that greeted Aqua were a warm orange color that faded to green. ‘ _Beautiful like gemstones, same allure as fire,_ ’ Aqua thought. 

When Aqua realized how close they actually were-they were basically breathing the same air, her introverted instincts took over and she immediately put distance between her and the witch.

Turning her back to Shion, Aqua brightly exclaimed, “Let’s go eat!” pumping her fist in the air to feign indifference to the obvious move Shion was making on her. In reality, Aqua’s face was red up to her ears, her eyes unable to focus on the world around her. The girl was so flustered her blush could rival Rushia’s eyes.

‘ _Calm down. Calm down, me. That could have meant anything. Maybe she was just being friendly? But what if she wasn’t?_ ’ Aqua’s brain refused to process that last point. Being around her supposed soulmate caused Aqua’s brain to short-circuit it seemed. Regardless, a fuzzy warmth filled the maid’s chest as she unconsciously walked with an extra spring in her step.

Aqua was completely oblivious to the defeated form of Shion behind her. The girl’s expression was crestfallen, her shoulders slumped. Still, the magic-user shook her head and caught up with the maid, falling into a steady pace with the shorter woman.

* * *

The lovely aroma of coffee hit the two as soon as they entered the quaint, but well-decorated shop. It wasn’t a hectic store; only a few tables were occupied, some by couples, others by friends. Aqua wasn’t sure where she and Shion fell into that spectrum.

Needing no prompting, Shion immediately headed for the counter to order. “One slice of your chocolate crepe cake please.”

Then, turning over to Aqua she asked, “Hey what do you want? My treat for being late.”

Startled, Aqua managed to mumble out her strawberry cheesecake order loud enough that Shion could hear and order for her.

“Copy that,” the barista behind the counter flashed a friendly business smile. “Any drinks to go with your orders?”

“I’ll have a matcha latte. Aqua?” “Ah.” Aqua was fidgeting a lot and seemed very interested in the tiled floor “I-um, wait, I-I’d like… oolong tea. Yeah,” she stuttered barely coherently enough for Shion to understand. ‘ _I really wish I brought my cap,_ ’ Aqua sighed.

* * *

After picking up their order at the counter, the two found a place to sit in the quieter parts of the cafe.

As they took their seats, Shion explained, “The food here is really good, I go here from time to time for their chocolate cakes especially.”

Aqua perked up at this, “Really? Then I guess I won’t hold back then! Let’s eat!”

Shion rolled her eyes but mimicked her companion, smiling fondly at the purple-haired woman’s overexcited nature. 

The first bite had Aqua speechless. The cake was soft and creamy as expected but the balance of the additional tartness brought by the strawberries with the dark-almost bitter flavor of the crust was a heavenly combination. 

“Good?” Not that Shion needed to ask, the answer was written all over Aqua’s face anyway. If the white-haired magician squinted she could probably see stars in Aqua’s eyes.

Snapping of her dessert-induced stupor, Aqua replied, “Mm!” as she furiously nodded her head. Swallowing the food in her mouth, Aqua decided to ask, “This is seriously amazing, how did you even find this place?”

“My master--my magic instructor, I mean--recommended me this place. She’s pretty much a regular here. She says it's because their cappuccino is great, but if you ask me it’s probably because of the cute brunette over at the bar.” Shion smirked while tilting her head to reference the lady behind the counter. 

As Aqua looked over Shion’s shoulder to inspect the said brunette, Shion exclaimed “You’re wide open!” and before Aqua could even react, the smug brat had swooped the maid’s strawberry and ate it.

“I can’t believe you just did that!!” Aqua huffed while lightly punching Shion’s shoulder.

“Sorry sorry, I couldn’t help it. Here I’ll give you some of mine, say ah~” said Shion as she held out her fork to Aqua’s pouting form.

Reluctantly opening her mouth, Aqua continued on pouting while chewing the admittedly delicious dessert. Aqua tried to keep up her glare at Shion, but it had little effect when she had the equivalent threat factor of an angry kitten. 

Meanwhile, Shion showed little remorse over her heinous act as she continued her lighthearted teasing, “You should have seen the look on your face!” Shion laughed.

As Aqua continued to try to intimidate the white-haired woman she spotted a bit of cream on the side of Shion’s lip--most likely from her rush to steal Aqua’s most precious possession.

“Hey Shion, stay still for a bit”

“Hmm?” Shion hummed while looking up, still smug. That’s not going to last long.

As soon as she did, Aqua swiped her thumb over Shion’s cheek to take off the offending cream. 

Then, with Shion sitting in stunned silence at the affectionate action, Aqua proceeded to lick the white confectionary off her finger, spouting something along the lines of “Don’t waste food,” that Shion was too dazed to comprehend.

As soon as the current events were processed in Shion’s head, the gothic lolita’s face then proceeded to explode into a full-blown blush.

“D-did you just..?”

It was then that Aqua took note of Shion’s flustered state. Aqua was confused, but then the realization hit her and she let out a quiet “Oh,” before forming into a sly grin. She was so going to get payback.

“Ehh~ Shion is embarrassed~ Shion is blushing~ how cute.”

“I-” Shion started, her voice an octave higher than usual. “ _Ahem_ , I am most definitely _not_ blushing, it’s just... the heat--yeah it’s a hot day out after all.”

Naturally, Aqua didn’t believe her one bit, “Heh~ Shion, if you want to confess your undying love for me, it’s okay. I’ll fully accept you as my servant.”

“Oi oi oi, wait just a minute you delusional kid. Who said anything about love? And what kind of maid needs a servant?” Shion tried to reign in Aqua before she blew this conversation out of proportion.

“Eh? Maid?” Aqua replied as she went back to eating her food.

“Eh?” Shion said back and resumed eating as well.

“Eh? Ah! Right. I’m a maid.” Aqua said as if the realization had just come to her.

“Did you seriously forget your own job description? Is your head full of air?” Shion deadpanned.

“Shut up! Stop trying to change the subject, we were talking about how much you like me!” exclaimed the purple airhead, pointing her fork at Shion.

“I don’t remember anything like that though?” Shion feigned ignorance to Aqua’s claims, but her shit-eating grin spoke otherwise. 

And so their back-and-forth continued until they finished their desserts. At which point, they cleaned up their table and went for a walk on the brick-paved road outside.

* * *

As soon as they left the shop, a realization suddenly hit Aqua. ‘ _I completely forgot to ask about soulmates!_ ’ Before shrugging it off, ‘ _Well whatever, I have plenty more time to ask about it later._ ’

“It’s still pretty early,” Shion observed as the sun was still high in the sky. “Is there any place you want to visit before heading to my place?”

Aqua rubbed her chin in thought, “Nowhere in particular, maybe I’ll think of something as we walk?”

Shion hummed noncommittally and pressed forward. Aqua took that as a sign to follow. 

“Ah! Want to go to an arcade?” Shion asked. “I bet I can beat you in all of the games,” she smirked as she let out a hearty chuckle, never missing the opportunity to test her purple-haired companion.

Predictably, Aqua took the bait, “You’re on! I’ll show you the power of the super gaming walking globe expert maid!”

“Absolutely none of those have anything to do with being a maid though.” Shion deadpanned.

* * *

The arcade was as noisy as always. The clinking of coins, multiple jingles of different games, and chatter of several people fueled the lively atmosphere. Not to mention the multitude of flashing lights from all the different machines. 

It was a bit overwhelming for Aqua, so she quietly clung to Shion’s sleeve. The latter noticed this and removed her hand from the fabric, clasping it within her hand instead. Shion gave a light squeeze as if to ground Aqua and the maid managed a small nod. Seeing this, the witch led Aqua to their first game.

Their first battle took place in Tekken 7 wherein Aqua chose a devilish-looking Jin while Shion went for the elegant Kazumi Mishima. After a hard-fought battle, full of carefully placed moves and strategic psychological warfare--yeah Shion button smashed her way to victory while Aqua screamed the whole time.

“Not fair! You had more practice on this game!” mourned the loser.

“You just don’t want to admit that you have crappy skills, _pfft_.” Shion mocked.

Aqua complained more so eventually Shion relented, “You can pick the next game then~ I’ll still win.”

Aqua immediately chose the racing game after this, “Let’s go with that one then, I’ll make you eat your words you cheeky brat.”

“I don’t see how someone without a license can beat me but sure~.” Not that Shion had a license either but Aqua didn’t need to know that.

True to her word, however, Aqua really did make Shion regret her earlier cockiness. The witch found herself making many mistakes, and in the heat of the game was unconsciously letting her foul mouth spill.

“Shit, why are there so many cars on this damn road?? Ah, crap there’s another turn here,” Shion cursed as her car crashed into yet another railing. “NEEEEEE, REALLY?!”

Aqua meanwhile, was finding Shion’s antics hilarious while she smoothly avoided all the obstacles. “What happened to your earlier confidence, huh Shion? I thought you were gonna win no matter what~?”

“SHUT UP!”

Needless to say, Aqua completely dominated that match. Seeing as Shion had the grace of a kindergartener, she of course challenged Aqua to another game that they were equally bad at. Aqua, who was equally mature agreed, bashing Shion all the while.

They ended up choosing Guitar Hero as they both couldn’t play the instrument, giving neither a clear advantage. Shion did spare a chuckle at Aqua’s expense when she saw how the guitar looked comically large against her small frame. It was like three-fourths her height, it’s a miracle she can even lift it.

The first attempt was disastrous. Still high from their previous match, Aqua suggested that they play in expert mode. Shion, not one to back down, agreed. They realized that as a horrible mistake after just 5 seconds of the three-minute song. Not that they ever completed it as the game declared them failures after 20 seconds.

…

“Medium difficulty?” Shion suggested.

“Medium difficulty is good yeah,” Aqua agreed.

The second attempt could actually be called decent for both players. Aqua was struggling a bit more though, her small hands meant her fingers were too little and too short to press all four buttons at once. Shion was doing better in that regard, but her impatience meant that her timing left something to be desired. In the end, the two got the same letter grade, but Shion’s numerical grade was just slightly better than Aqua’s.

“So it’s my win~” Shion smugly pointed out.

“Dang it!” Aqua once again cursed her small stature.

Refusing to accept defeat, Aqua looked around for another game they could play. As she was scanning the area, an adorable plushie caught her eye. It was a medium-sized gray cat that had a little star hairpin on its ear. Aqua really wanted it, but the claw machine it was stuck inside of was going to prove to be a hindrance.

Aqua stared at it, mulling it over. Shion took note of her partner’s silence and followed her gaze to the plushie. “You wanna try getting that before we leave?”

With sparkles in her eyes at the suggestion, Aqua asked, “Really?”

A little surprised at her enthusiasm, Shion blankly nodded and they approached the machine.

“ _Ahem,_ ” Aqua cleared her throat, “The super ultra claw game expert maid, Minato Aqua is now going to teach the ignorant Shion the secret to getting the prize.”

“Didn’t your title suddenly change?”

Ignoring the witch’s last comment, Aqua began her lengthy explanation of how to win a prize at the claw machine.

“Listen, first you have to scout the prize pit, look for ones that are in prime position to be caught. In this case, that gray cat is totally gonna be mine.” 

“I don’t really need an explanati-” Shion started but Aqua went on.

“Second, you have to test the grip strength of the claw, you’ll never get anywhere with a weak claw. I checked it earlier and winning is doable in this case.”

“Wait when did you even-” Shion tried to ask but was once again ignored.

“Lastly, check your angles. Your claw has to be positioned in the prize’s center of gravity if you want to get it.”

“Just hurry up and demonstrate it already.”

Aqua finally snapped out of her monologue, “Ah! Sorry, I got carried away.” She apologized while rubbing her head.

Aqua finally entered the coins needed to make her attempt. She carefully positioned it so it was right on top of the plushie, and waited for the claw to stop swaying before pressing the button. 

The claw went down, grabbed on tightly to the prize, and rose with it. Aqua was waiting in anxious excitement to see if it would stay in. Unfortunately, the cat tipped out mere centimeters before reaching the hole. 

“WAAAH SO CLOSE!” As Aqua went to start her gambling addiction, Shion stopped her. 

With a confident flourish, Shion gently moved the maid out of the way, “Leave this to me, Aqua.”

‘ _Shion is acting cool,_ ’ Aqua almost swooned, _almost_. She just had to make sure of one thing first.

“Hey Shion, you do know that claw games have magic-sensitive alarms right?”

Shion suddenly became a lot less confident, “A-ah, is that so?” Coughing to hide her nervousness, “That’s completely fine! I wasn’t planning on using magic anyway!”

Somehow Aqua found that hard to believe.

Shion’s turn should have never worked. Her claw placement was so far to the side, but somehow that angled the claw towards the plushie. _Somehow_ , it latched on even more securely than in Aqua’s attempt. _Somehow_ , she got the cat on the first try. What is wrong with this machine.

Bending down to pick up her prize, Shion turned to Aqua and smugly stated, “See, I told you I’d get it.”

Aqua was in disbelief. ‘ _That did not obey the laws of the arcade at all, what in the-_ ’ But all the maid could muster was a small, “Eh?” Then Shion shoved the soft object in Aqua’s hands and so she made more noises of confusion.

A light blush dusted Shion’s cheeks as she explained, “You can have it, I didn’t really want it.” 

“A present Shion got just for me!!” Aqua excitedly stated. “It’s so cute!! And it’s really soft,” as she squeezed the life out of her newfound stuffed toy.

“It was just a side effect of me proving that I could beat you!”Shion argued, not meeting her eyes, but the maid was too busy trying to think of a name for the cat, so she didn’t hear her.

Aqua continued to ponder on its name as Shion led the way home. 

It was dangerous to let the maid walk on her own when she’s lost in thought like that, so naturally, Shion would have to hold her hand to make sure she doesn’t get lost, right? And if Aqua unconsciously intertwined their fingers together after that, then Shion could hardly be blamed, right?

* * *

“We’re here.” 

Shion’s voice once again snapped Aqua from her thoughts. ‘ _Woah, when did we get here? Ah-I forgot to ask about soulmates again! I’ll do it this time for sure!_ ’

Unaware of Aqua’s plight, Shion unlocked the door and gestured for Aqua to come in. “You can leave your shoes by that rack,” Shion called out as she went somewhere inside her house. She came back a minute later holding a pair of fluffy-looking white bunny house slippers for Aqua.

“My room’s upstairs, just gimme a minute to change.” Shion said before adding an afterthought, “Did you bring spare clothes with you?”

Aqua shook her head.

“Then you can borrow some of mine, I have some comfortable shirts and we’re pretty much the same size.”

That’s how Aqua found herself sitting by Shion’s pink mattress, dressed in a gray shirt with a maroon Harvard print in front and purple shorts. Shion meanwhile, changed into a white shirt that was otherwise plain except for a small moon on the top right as well as some black shorts.

‘ _Shion’s shirt smells really good-wait don’t get distracted!_ ’ Aqua berated herself. 

The two were by the edge of the bed, each having their respective Switch in hand. They were set up to play Clubhouse 51.

As Shion scrolled through the games for something to play, Aqua guessed that now is as good a time as any to ask, “Hey Shion, what do you think of soulmates?”

Shion seemed surprised at the sudden question and seemed to mull it over before replying. “I’ll tell you if you beat me at this game,” she grinned as she selected the boxing mini-game.

“You’re on!” And so their battle began.

“Take that! And that! And that!”

“Don’t think I’m going down easy! Take this!”  
  
There was lots of screaming going around.

“Drop your guard dangit!”

When it showed that only ten seconds were left, the duo decided to both drop their guard and settle it with an all-out slugfest.

The counter reached zero and Shion and Aqua awaited the results with bated breath. After the everlasting second passed, the screen showed Aqua’s icon as the winner.

“I WON!” Aqua shouted while doing a little victory dance before sitting back down. “Now keep your end of the deal.” Aqua confidently declared. Inside though, she was nervous as hell.

Shion took a moment to collect herself, taking a breath, she looked at Aqua straight in the eye.

“I don’t like the concept. It’s stupid and a pain.”

Something inside Aqua broke. Still, Shion carried on, oblivious.

“The stories about it make it look all nice and fantastical, but all I got from the deal was this stupid necklace that locks my magic potential. Besides, isn’t the whole idea of having someone destined for you kinda stupid? I don’t want the world to choose someone for me, the very idea of it pisses me off. Besides, I already have someone I like right now and I don’t think I could give up on them even if my soulmate suddenly showed up.”

Aqua’s heart was in tatters ‘ _Is this her way of rejecting me? Did she figure out that I was her soulmate and this is her way of turning me down?_ ’ Still, she bit down her tears and tried to continue the conversation, doing her best to keep the shakiness out of her voice. “O-oh, you must really like them then?”

“Yeah, I like them a lot,” and then Shion’s expression turned soft as she looked forward. “I haven’t known them for very long and every time we’ve met I’ve teased them a lot, so they probably don’t have the best impression of me,” she looked sheepish at that. 

“We argue a lot, despite Marine saying she was the shy type, but every single second that I spend time with her is incredibly precious to me.” Intentionally letting more details slip, Shion continued, “Honestly, I think I might have looked like an idiot because I keep smiling when she’s around. I can’t help it though, every time I look at her I’m filled with a strange warmth and I’m just falling deeper and deeper the more time I spend with her.”

Shion finally turned to Aqua and with a gentle, albeit nervous smile asked, “I’m thinking of confessing soon, what do you think?”

Aqua had never seen Shion make that expression before, nor has she heard her describe anyone so fondly. Aqua couldn’t take it, she liked Shion so much but it seemed that someone else occupied the other girls’ thoughts, so, despite her best effort, Aqua started crying. 

“Eh? Ah-EHH...why?” Shion completely panicked at the unexpected reaction.

So Shion started rambling, “S-sorry, was I coming on too strong? I wasn’t planning on saying all that, it just kinda came out. I didn’t mean to pressure you-actually inviting you to come over on the first date was already probably too much. I’m really really sorry, I understand if you’re too creeped out by me to meet again. If you want to leave, it’s fine.”

Aqua was still sobbing but was confused by Shion’s words, “H-huh? W-what are you..hic...even talking a-about?”

“Eh? I thought my roundabout confession was making you feel pressured?”

It was silent for a moment until Aqua let that information sink into her.

“You were confessing?” Shion nodded. “To me?” Another nod, this time accompanied by a large blush.

“...Oh.”

“THEN GIVE ME BACK MY TEARS GODDAMMIT. SHION YOU IDIOT, STUPID, OBLIVIOUS JACKASS.”

Irked by the insults, Shion couldn’t help but fight back, “WAIT WHY AM I GETTING INSULTED HERE, YOU’RE THE ONE THAT STARTED CRYING OUT OF NOWHERE!”

“I THOUGHT YOU WERE REJECTING ME!!”

“WHY WOULD YOU THINK THAT??” Shion was genuinely confused by the turn of events.

“YOU SAID YOU HATED SOULMATES!!” Aqua shouted, exasperated. “AND THEN YOU WENT ON TO DESCRIBE YOUR CRUSH!”

“OH C’MON! IT WAS EXTREMELY OBVIOUS I WAS TALKING ABOUT YOU, YOU IDIOT! I EVEN MENTIONED MARINE FOR GOODNESS SAKE!”

“WELL, WHY DID YOU HAVE TO BE SO AMBIGUOUS ABOUT IT?

“I WASN’T SURE YOU LIKED ME!”

“OF COURSE I LIKE YOU!”

“WELL, HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW?”

Having run out of steam from all the yelling, the two took time to replenish the oxygen they lost from their impromptu screaming contest.

“Wait what did you mean when you said you thought I was rejecting you because I said I hated the soulmate concept?” Shion was curious now.

Aqua ignored her, “You said that this necklace you always wear is related to your soulmate? Her tone clipped.

Shion was taken aback by this new side of Aqua so she wasn’t even offended and answered, “Y-yeah, it seals away my magic power so I can only really do basic spells. I can’t take it off either, apparently, only my soulmate can unlock it or whatever.”

“To answer your previous question Shion, _this_ is why you’re stupid.” Aqua reached for the necklace and held it. Shion wondered what she was getting at before a surge of magic almost caused her to blackout. It was as if the dam that held the magic back broke and now Shion was drowning in mana. The flow was intense; the now-proper witch saw black spots around her vision for a while before it calmed down.

Upon realizing what happened, Shion let out a small “Oh.” She had just insulted the soulmate system… in front of her soulmate… well, that’s awkward.

“ _Oh_ ,” Aqua mocked, hugging her cat plushie for comfort.

Another bout of silence.

“Hey Aqua,” Shion called, her voice was soft this time, with a slight rasp to it that drained Aqua of all her irritation.

“Close your eyes for a sec,” Shion requested.

Aqua was confused but complied, inside, however, she was back to internally panicking. ‘ _Is she going to do what I think she’s going to do? Calm down, calm down, gotta be cool about this. It’s just my first kiss… with my soulmate… who I will probably be stuck with for the rest of my life that will never let me live it down if I mess up here._ ’ As Aqua’s mind was reeling, she felt a warm pair of lips land on her **cheek**.

Aqua opened her eyes, shocked and more than a little disappointed. Shion looked smug as hell and snorted, “ _Pfft_ , you should have seen your fa-”

She couldn’t finish that statement because she was interrupted by Aqua grabbing her by the necklace and pulling her down for a proper kiss. 

At first, it was stiff, Aqua being inexperienced and Shion too shocked to move. When Shion regained her bearings, she adjusted. She gently cupped Aqua’s cheek and tilted her head so their lips fit together better. Aqua seemed to get the picture and slowly relaxed into it too.

Aqua was melting. She was so lost in the softness of Shion’s lips against hers that she almost forgot to breathe. When she did inhale, Shion’s scent filled her head. She smelled of flowers, ‘ _Lilac? Maybe hyacinth?_ ’ and a mixture of other wonderful smells that made up something that was so distinctly Shion. It was also way stronger than on her shirt; it was intoxicating. 

In her need to be closer to her soulmate, Aqua ended up almost sitting on Shion’s lap, her arms looped around the witch’s neck. Somewhere in the back of her head, Aqua noted the warmth of Shion’s hands in the small of her back. 

Eventually, they did break apart. When they did, both had a blush evident on their faces.

After a while, Aqua started fidgeting, a question clearly on her mind but was too shy to ask. Shion didn’t mind taking the initiative, ~~nothing was a nuisance for her if it involved Aqua~~ , the maid was likely wondering the same thing as her now.

“Just to make sure, can I call you my girlfriend now?” Shion asked.

“Yeah,” Aqua’s beamed, confirming Shion’s suspicions.

Settling that point, the two stayed huddled close together, content in staying like that for a little while longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That arcade part was just me trying to cope with how much I miss going to one honestly.
> 
> Shion was wearing her gothic lolita outfit; reference for Aqua's outfit is [here.](https://www.deviantart.com/minjaecucheoo/art/Transparent-PNG-Minato-Aqua-842115544)
> 
> That concludes this story! I hope you found it cute at least once while reading and that I did the pairing justice.
> 
> If you noticed, I changed the setting so the story is marked to end in chapter 3. It's not a continuation, but I will be adding a bonus chapter with three omakes! Each one will just be short funny snippets that I wanted to include.
> 
> ALSO ALSO If you have any fanfic recommendations with AkuShio in it, please please please link them in the comments! I am starved for AkuShio content, it doesn't matter if it isn't in English, I'll just do my best to use online translation tools.


	3. Omakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The three omakes (short extras) that I promised. It didn't take a month this time so yay!

**Omake 1: By the way...**

The couple continued their video game date in relative silence until Shion had a thought, “How did you know we were soulmates anyway?”

“Oh, my soulmate manifestation was your first words on my chest,” Aqua calmly explained. “Speaking of which, it’s pretty rude to point out my height on our first meeting you know!”

“Heh~ I think it’s one of your charm points though?” Shion acknowledged, causing Aqua to get flustered and look away.

A beat passes.

“Why didn’t you say anything in our first meeting then? You didn’t drop hints on our date either.” 

…

“Aqua?”

“...Great weather we’re having, huh?” Aqua tried to deflect.

Shion wasn’t having it, “It’s literally raining right now and the blackout curtains aren’t even letting you see outside.”

Unable to refute, Aqua weakly responded, “W-well, you know, rain can be great too!” 

...

“Don’t tell me… '' Shion was starting to get the picture “Did you not realize?” She got her answer as Aqua buried her head into the bed, mumbling something along the lines of “Matsuri, take me now.”

Shion wasn’t done, however, with a cheeky grin she kept on prodding her embarrassed soulmate, “Why didn’t you ask me earlier though? Was it too awkward? Or did you just forget?”

“SHUT UP!!!,” Aqua shouted but it was muffled by the pillow she was smothering her red face on. Shion meanwhile, was currently doubling over in laughter, letting out wheezes that sound akin to a windshield wiper on a dry window.

* * *

“Hey Aqua,” Shion started, uncharacteristically nervous. She took a deep breath to calm herself and spoke, “This may come off as awkward since it’s so out of the blue, but I just don’t want to have any bad air between us, so anyway, I just want to apologize for all the stuff I said about soulmates. I kinda grew up cursing the stupid necklace for making learning magic harder and the resentment spilled over to the whole concept,” the witch admitted in one breath.

Aqua listened to the impromptu confession, ‘ _ Shion is cute when she rambles, _ ’ and nodded understandingly. “Don’t mind. Actually, I thought I would hate my soulmate until I was proved wrong, a few days ago,” she admitted. 

Shion’s embarrassment grew, “Ah… right, sorry about my first impression too.” However she couldn’t help but mutter, “It is true though,” under her breath.

“I heard that,” Aqua grunted, lightly hitting Shion’s shoulder. The girl with two-toned hair sighed, “It still feels like a punch to the gut every time someone calls me small and I still don’t appreciate people making fun of my height…”

Shion was about to add another apology but Aqua continued without giving her the opportunity to. “But if it’s Shion, I think I can manage,” she said, giving Shion a soft smile.

The witch couldn’t help but blush at the unexpected sincerity.

* * *

**Omake 2: Thanking Marine, gaki style**

“Hey Shion,” Aqua said.

“What’s up?” Shion stopped practicing her spellcasting and turned to Aqua. The maid had seemed deep in thought for a while now and Shion was curious about what was occupying her mind.

Putting her hands in a thinking position, Aqua continued, “I think we should thank Marine, for letting us meet and all? What do you think?”

Shion nodded, “I guess that’s true, hmm. I know her address, we could send her a gift? That’s a bit boring though.”

Suddenly, Shion tapped her fist against her open palm, an idea forming in her head. With a mischievous smile, Shion beckoned Aqua closer and started to explain the details of her plan. Soon enough, the maid was mirroring Shion’s impish grin.

* * *

Two sharp knocks were delivered on Marine’s door, “Delivery!” a young man’s voice said.

‘ _ That’s weird, _ ’ Marine thought, ‘ _ I didn’t order anything recently. _ ’ She went to answer the door anyway since it may have been just a misunderstanding.

“Are you Houshou Marine?” The delivery man asked ‘ _ So it’s not a mistake in the address, _ ’ Marine was growing more confused.

“That’s right, but I don’t remember ordering anything recently,” Marine said.

“It’s a present, Ms. Marine. The one that sent it thought you might be confused so they said they included a note inside. I will be taking my leave now though, please enjoy your package.”

‘ _ Well this is totally not sketchy as hell, _ ’ Marine sarcastically thought. It didn’t seem like the package was anything dangerous, however, aside from being slightly warm, so Marine brought it inside her house. 

Upon opening it, Marine discovered... cooked crab? It looked delicious, she wasn’t going to lie. The crab was a beautiful red and glimmered with oil, and the soup looked nice and light, but who would send her this and why? Looking to the folded note on the side, Marine picked it up and began to read to understand what was happening.

To Marine:

HAACHAMACHAMA!

Marine immediately closed the note. She was completely mistaken about the package not being dangerous, food and Haachama is one of the most terrifying combinations known to man. 

The pirate was contemplating on throwing the potentially dangerous substance, but the enticing smell of butter and garlic made her reconsider. “W-well I might as well read the whole note. I mean something that actually looks like food can’t possibly be made by Haachama, right?” Marine tried to reason with herself.

To Marine:

HAACHAMACHAMA!

Here is a lovely meal made by Haachamachama for Senchou only~ It was a special request by two cute vegetables! You wouldn’t waste something I made especially for you… right? ( ◕ ‿ ◕ )

,Love

HAACHAMACHAMA <3

P.S. On the off chance that you die, we already have Rushia on standby :3

A+S - 

“The fuck?”

* * *

**Omake 3:** **Drama** **Comedy Skit**

Marine watched as two small figures huddled together. The two were watching a video, one a precious bean, and the other a cheeky brat. She continued to observe as the latter apparently made a snarky comment which caused the former to giggle, before returning to rest her head on her partner’s shoulder as they continued watching.

‘ _ Akutan is as cute as always, _ ’ Marine thought with a blissful smile. ‘ _ But… _ ’ The boomer pirate proceeded to try to snatch Aqua from Shion, and with an overly dramatic flourish shouted, “I’LL NEVER HAND MY DAUGHTER TO THE LIKES OF YOU!”

Aqua, with faux tears in her eyes, replied, “But I love her mother! You can’t take her from me! WHY WON’T YOU JUST RESPECT MY CHOICES?!”

“Because your choices suck! The other day you tried to boil soy sauce because you thought somehow it would turn into barbecue sauce! Then you somehow made it catch fire and almost burned the damn place!!” 

“IT KIND OF MADE SENSE AT TIME TIME!!”

Panting, Aqua presented Marine with an ultimatum, “If you won’t accept my love, then… then… I’M LEAVING THIS HOUSE!”

Meanwhile, Rushia and Shion in the background were growing increasingly more amused at the estranged mother and daughter dynamic play their respective partners seemed keen on portraying.

“I SPENT 10 HOURS IN LABOR GIVING BIRTH TO YOU AND THIS IS THE THANKS I GET?! THE DOCTOR EVEN QUESTION ME AT ONE POINT WHY THE BABY’S HEAD LOOKED LIKE AN ONION! And now you’re leaving me for this… CHEEKY BRAT? How can she even please you in bed, SHE’S AS FLAT AS A BOARD!”

Rushia continued to chuckle but Shion stopped laughing, “Hey wait a minute-” 

“YOU MARRIED SOMEONE FLATTER!!” Aqua pointed out.

At this point, both Rushia and Shion stopped laughing and instead looked quite angry. Mostly Rushia though, whose aura went from childlike glee to a downright murderous. 

Marine nervously cleared her throat and tried to evade the land mine Aqua stepped on, “S-so my daughter’s all grown up,” she said, wiping nonexistent tears in her eyes. 

“We’re continuing this? I mean, yes. I’m sorry mother, but I can’t leave my soulmate.” Aqua turned her head, unable to meet her mother’s(?) eyes.

Shion took this chance to grab Aqua’s hand and boldly declare, “Yeah get your own soulmate, old hag!” 

“WHO ARE YOU CALLING AN OLD HAG-Wait, soulmate?” Marine replied. Rushia was in a similarly confused state. It made too much sense to be just a joke.

Shion, with her usual flippant attitude, just said, “Oh yeah me and Aqua are soulmates by the way, did we forget to mention that?”

“YES, YOU DID!” Marine and Rushia exclaimed simultaneously.

* * *

After a little bit of explaining from Shion and Aqua’s side, the four finally calmed down from their respective highs.

Marine was the first to comment, “So Akutan’s soul mark is on her chest huh… that’s kinda erotic.” The pirate’s face then morphed into a lewd smile, a blush indicating her inner thoughts, “So, did you suck?” 

Shion, unusually flustered by this suggestion yelled, “THERE WAS NO SUCKING!”

* * *

A little while later Shion, with an all too happy grin, decided to ask, “By the way Marine! Did you enjoy the crab?”

“YOU TWO DID THAT, YOU SHITTY BRATS?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos, comments, and bookmarks! I was really hesitant about actually posting this little side project cuz I've never done anything like this, but I'm glad I did! I learned a lot about the Hololive fanfic community-people here are really nice like I gotta seriously thank that one guy for introducing me to Japanese AkuShio fics.
> 
> That's all for now! I'll probably make more AkuShio fics when I'm less busy but for now... dude I cannot do research and fanfics simultaneously, have mercy on my soul.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are much appreciated!
> 
> I'm new to fanfic writing so tips and constructive criticism are welcome. 
> 
> Chapter 2 is in the works! Look forward to their date in the next chapter.


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